This invention relates in general to the packaging of foods and more particularly to a food container and closure which provides a visual indication when the closure has been removed so that unauthorized opening of the container may be detected.
Cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt and other dairy products are normally packaged in relatively inexpensive containers formed from injection molded plastic or coated paperboard. The containers include reusable lids which tightly engage the upper rim of the container sidewall to seal the container contents for prolonged shelf life. The lid is removed by simply lifting it from its interlocking engagement with the container and may be replaced by pressing it onto the container. While this type of lid is convenient for providing access to the container contents, it does not provide visual evidence when the lid has been removed and replaced and undetected tampering of the food contents may occur.
Various attempts have been made to provide a visual indication that the container lid has been removed. These arrangements generally provide a tear away member such as a tear ring or diaphragm which must be torn away before the container may be opened. Some of these devices, when used with disposable containers such as those in which cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream and similar foods are packaged, may fail to securely couple the tear away member with the deformable container sidewall. The lid may be removed and replaced without detaching the tear away member by simply deforming the container sidewall to release that portion of the lid or tear away member which engages the sidewall. These devices may then present a serious safety hazard for consumers who, because of the presence of the intact tamper indicator, fail to inspect the container contents for signs of tampering.